I do like mine also. Like others, I bought it on a lark because they were cheap, I think $100 at the time. It was before the so called "ban" in 94 so it is a Norinco with the spike bayonet still attached.

I have shot it very little and I have considered getting rid of it several times, but then I take it out to the range and I get reminded how fun it is to shoot. Strong, accurate, reliable and very little recoil.

It is still ugly as ever, but I always heard not to modify if there might be plans to resell it.

Here's a cell phone pic of the "Pig Rig" SKS with the modified drop-free bolt holding a fully loaded Tapco 20 with the bolt closed and no round chambered. The drop free bolt mod is the only way to go if you want to use detachable mags. Also, I've had this gun for 10 years and it has easily fired 8k-10k rounds and still shoots better than some new guns I've had. The only things I've replaced in it are the springs and the recoil buffer.

If I didn't have better rifles for the job, I'd feel very comfortable hunting deer and any other deer-sized game inside 150 yards with an SKS. With that said, I'm extremely familiar with the guns and the 7.62x39 cartridge, so YMMV.

You stole those rifles if they are in decent condition. Regardless of what others say they are worth every bit of $250 each. The only "new" sks's available are Yugo's and they are going for around $300. These rifles were ridiculously under priced years ago. Now learn how to clean them and make sure the front site is adjusted properly. My sks's start jamming after about 100rds without cleaning and lubing.

You stole those rifles if they are in decent condition. Regardless of what others say they are worth every bit of $250 each. The only "new" sks's available are Yugo's and they are going for around $300. These rifles were ridiculously under priced years ago. Now learn how to clean them and make sure the front site is adjusted properly. My sks's start jamming after about 100rds without cleaning and lubing.

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If you used it to shoot at some of you're enemies, you'll appreciate how good they shoot

You stole those rifles if they are in decent condition. Regardless of what others say they are worth every bit of $250 each. The only "new" sks's available are Yugo's and they are going for around $300. These rifles were ridiculously under priced years ago. Now learn how to clean them and make sure the front site is adjusted properly. My sks's start jamming after about 100rds without cleaning and lubing.

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While I agree with everything said here, I put hundreds of rounds through mine at a time with no jams whatsoever. Hell I printed this 1.4" 3-shot group at 75 yards last weekend using Golden Tiger from my Norinco "Pig Rig" and there were already about 300 rounds down the pipe that day. How many rounds have you fired? You should replace the springs every 3,000 rounds or so or you may start experiencing some failures. Some older/more heavily used SKS (or ones that have unknown round counts through them) are usually good as new after replacing the springs.

I've had a couple of SKS's, and I like them. They are pretty accurate, and depending on which mag's you use, they are damn reliable. I've got one with about 2500 rounds down it without cleaning, and it still runs like a champ. they aren't lookers, and personally, I prefer the AK, (mostly a looks factor), over the SKS, but they're damn good. Way cheaper than AR's, too.

Um, do you have any idea what you're talking about? The Chinese Type 56 were (and still are) some of the better SKS ever built, and the earlier the better. The real early ones are called Sino-Soviet as they were produced in China under Russian supervision on Russian tooling. Sino-Soviets are some of the more rare and sought after SKS, right up there with Albanians and early Tulas.

Um, do you have any idea what you're talking about? The Chinese Type 56 were (and still are) some of the better SKS ever built, and the earlier the better. The real early ones are called Sino-Soviet as they were produced in China under Russian supervision on Russian tooling. Sino-Soviets are some of the more rare and sought after SKS, right up there with Albanians and early Tulas.

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I have not seen em for the last 40 + years or so off and on to not know what im talking about THE OLD M14 7.76 IS A GOD NEXT TO A SKS. JMHO Jim P. S. How old are you??

I meant nothing against you personally, but the SKS is not junk as you implied. Can the 7.62x39 Russian compete with the 7.62x51 NATO? No. Can an SKS compete with an M1A? In many ways, no. But nobody was talking about the M14, or any other rifle for that matter, in comparison to the SKS. I'm probably a third your age, but I am old enough to have personally owned or fired tens of thousands of rounds of various types through twenty or more different SKS rifles from at least 6 different countries of manufacture, not to mention I'm trained as a gunsmith and know my way around firearms as well or better than anyone who has served. I am also old and wise enough to know the $1,600+ M14/M1A you're comparing to a $200 SKS is like apples and oranges... Never mind the fact that the M14 you speak of is 7.62x51 chambered, I haven't heard the old 7.76 misnomer in years.

Again, I mean no disrespect to you in any way, and I certainly can't speak to your experiences with a particular firearm. But the bottom line is that SKS are unfailingly reliable battle rifles and are generally good shooting guns, which is what was being discussed here.

There is no comparison between an M1A/M14 or an AR with an SKS
That being said the SKS does it's job very well that being reasonably accruate to 200 yds, simple enough for a person that has no mechanical expertise to speak of to be able to operate and keep working with min. maint.

Cost was the reason they were built They were 70-100 dollars 15 years ago and my M1A was $1200.00 at the same time. ARs are about the same price and both would not be able to be worked on even basic maint. by a farmer that was plowing a field with a water buffalo the week before being " drafted".

The Russian and Romanian are very good followed by the Norinco and I have not used a Yugo yet but I understand they are different than the Chinese and Russian.

I have not used a Yugo yet but I understand they are different than the Chinese and Russian.

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The Yugo are different in several ways, and many parts do not interchange with other SKS rifles. The two most obvious differences are the weight and grenade launcher on the front. Yugos are noticeably heavier because they did not have access to chromium sources so rather than chrome-lining the barrels and chambers, they simply made everything thicker and dimensionally larger. They also have grenade launching muzzle devices and a special grenade launching sight/gas block. In my experience, the Yugo SKS are some of the least accurate and most poorly built SKS available, but you'd never guess that from holding one next to any other SKS because of the weight difference.

The Yugo are different in several ways, and many parts do not interchange with other SKS rifles. The two most obvious differences are the weight and grenade launcher on the front. Yugos are noticeably heavier because they did not have access to chromium sources so rather than chrome-lining the barrels and chambers, they simply made everything thicker and dimensionally larger. They also have grenade launching muzzle devices and a special grenade launching sight/gas block. In my experience, the Yugo SKS are some of the least accurate and most poorly built SKS available, but you'd never guess that from holding one next to any other SKS because of the weight difference.

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That is what I have heard as well.
These are not "Riflemen rifles" by any means and few profesional soldiers would pick them, but for a fun simple and easy to maintain or not you cannot go wrong.

I meant nothing against you personally, but the SKS is not junk as you implied. Can the 7.62x39 Russian compete with the 7.62x51 NATO? No. Can an SKS compete with an M1A? In many ways, no. But nobody was talking about the M14, or any other rifle for that matter, in comparison to the SKS. I'm probably a third your age, but I am old enough to have personally owned or fired tens of thousands of rounds of various types through twenty or more different SKS rifles from at least 6 different countries of manufacture, not to mention I'm trained as a gunsmith and know my way around firearms as well or better than anyone who has served. I am also old and wise enough to know the $1,600+ M14/M1A you're comparing to a $200 SKS is like apples and oranges... Never mind the fact that the M14 you speak of is 7.62x51 chambered, I haven't heard the old 7.76 misnomer in years.

Again, I mean no disrespect to you in any way, and I certainly can't speak to your experiences with a particular firearm. But the bottom line is that SKS are unfailingly reliable battle rifles and are generally good shooting guns, which is what was being discussed here.

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Did not want to come off bad to you but been around guns my hole life, Just my 2 cents dont like old SKS or old m16(ar15) Riden on the river boats i did not have to carry the thing so my top pick was the M14 or the ak 47. AK for in tight or 14 for out there . Peace. Jim